


The Source Of My Inspiration

by zombie_zoha



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Angst, College AU, Eating Disorders, F/M, LadyNoir - Freeform, Mild Language, Pizza, Some adult themes, adrienette - Freeform, art students, cute cats, fluff mostly, theres angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-26
Updated: 2015-12-26
Packaged: 2018-05-09 12:01:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,077
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5539223
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zombie_zoha/pseuds/zombie_zoha
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Marinette is a struggling up and coming fashion designer, and with so many projects the stress is really getting to her. It's been a year after high school graduation, and Marinette and Adrien haven't seen each other since. Once Adrien delivers pizza to her and re-enters her life, can he finally give her the inspiration she needs?</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Source Of My Inspiration

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Heyyy! Welcome to my first ML story(also my first story since like 2010 //sweats)! So for clarification; there are no akumas, kwami’s, powers, etc.(but there will be references to such things; in fact ML will actually be a TV show-which Alya obsesses over- in the real world of this universe. Think of this as a normal world AU, with the actual show universe inside of it~ This story was inspired by a wonderful AU account I found on tumblr by the name of perfectlyrose I believe. Anyway I hope you enjoy the story!

“ _An artist must be free to choose what he does, certainly, but he must also never be afraid to do what he might choose.”_

_Langston Hughes_

______________________________________________________________________________

 

_‘Another line. One more for good measure. Maybe two or three more… Keep going. You might be making something good this time. ‘Don’t imitate, capture’. Tch… easier said than done Marinette. Dammit, the lines are so crooked… the shading is all wrong on this side… Ahhh man why’d I have to do that, this is permanent ink..! AGH CRAP!’_

 

_Crunchcrunchcrunch…Bmp!_

 

Another crumpled up drawing made its way into a blue recycling bin, just like the ten billion previous ones. Marinette looked sadly at the bin, filled to the top with crumpled up drawing paper, and looked at her watch. _2 AM_. She groaned and brought her hands to her face, internally panicking about her project deadlines. 

 

_‘One project due for Art on Monday… Design due in two weeks, and commissions to complete by the end of the month… How the hell am I going to get this all done?’_ Mari thought to herself. No matter where she looked, inspiration was nowhere to be found. She took an arts class for college, and this week she was given a project where she had to combine different mediums to make a drawing of a landmark in Paris. Her project for design was a bit easier, she would have to put an original spin with any medium on a subject which she drew randomly out of a bucket, which ended up being a black toy cat. The commissions were relatively easy as well, the commissioners giving her a subject, and Marinette making the clothing article of their choice, prices varying with each piece of course. No matter the difficulty however, Marinette couldn’t deny that the workload was overwhelming her, especially with her lack of inspiration.

 

One thing that seemed to deteriorate with her motivation, was time. Marinette hardly found the time to do simple things, like hang out with her friends, watch ‘ _Miraculous Ladybug’_ with Alya, or even buy clothes. Whenever she got the opportunity to do anything leisurely, it was usually for a short period of time, or just something she wanted to do to try and boost her creativity. It was almost like her lack of her said creativity was dragging her down, keeping her from doing what she wanted in every aspect of the sense. It was Mari’s first year trying to make it as a professional artist and designer, living in a mid-rate apartment with a cat named Tikki, and struggling to finish college. She began to think that pursuing art was a bad decision, and that she should just quit while she was down and go find a proper major like everyone else.

 

Marinette got up from her desk, turned off her lamp, and walked to her fridge to find something to eat. On the way, she spotted Tikki curled up on the sofa, and smiled.

 

“Tiiikiiiiiii~”. She started to coddle her cat, causing the furry feline to flip around exposing her side, which she started to pet. After a few minutes, Tikki left to resume her nap, and Marinette finished her short walk to the kitchen. Once she opened the fridge, all she saw was some leftovers and a few bell peppers. Her heart sank. Marinette hadn’t eaten properly in a week, and she couldn’t make up the time to visit any grocery stores with her work, and other activities. Cellphone in hand, she went to her last resort; Pizza Hut.

 

“Hey Tikki, we’re getting pizza.” Marinette jokingly announced to her cat. The fluffy red creature looked up at her dryly, and continued napping. Mari chuckled, and started tapping the web address into her phone.

 

“Okaaay… Let’s see… pizzahut.com… Ah, ok ok. So I waaaant…” Marinette rambled to herself, contemplating what pizza she wanted. She looked through all the different toppings and sizes, and settled on a large mushroom pizza with olives and green peppers. She made the order, and a message appeared on the screen, saying that the delivery would come in 30 minutes or less; or it’d be free. Marinette’s apartment complex was quite a ways away from the nearest Pizza Hut, so she was really pinning her hopes on free dinner that would last her a few nights… otherwise she just might’ve burned a hole in her wallet.

 

While she waited for her dinner, Mari decided to return to her desk and try her hand at making another attempt at her projects. She determined working on commissions first would be a good choice, as those had some guidelines, rules to abide by. Her first request was a blue cocktail dress with an embroidery design, which she saw on a picture given to her. This specifically depicted an elegant lacy design, with careful detailing, all done in metallic colored threads. She was instructed to trail the design from the skirt of the dress to the belt, separating the torso and the skirt. Marinette had no problem starting this one, that was if she actually had the fabric. 

 

“ _Seriously?!?!?”_ Mari groaned, and walked to the fridge again. This time around, she picked up a pen and wrote “ _minty-blue toile and satin; gold, silver, bronze, and green metallic threads- JoAnn Fabrics”_ on a pad on her fridge. Dejectedly, Marinette retreated to her couch and picked up her cat.

 

“I was _this_ close Tikki.”, Ashley whined. She put her index finger and thumb together, only millimeters apart. “Why do I not have the fabric that I need now??? This is ridiculous. But of course you wouldn’t tell, you’re a cat.” Marinette played with Tikki’s ears, grumbling about how she wished she didn’t have to do any work. With a sigh, Marinette turned on her TV. “How about we watch some Cupcake Wars eh cutie?” Tikki meowed. “I guess that settles it then.”

 

Marinette turned on her Wii, and got into Netflix, putting on Cupcake Wars. The show always de-stressed her; it was much more fun watching others be worried rather than feeling worried herself. Plus the cupcakes reminded her of home, the odd ingredients leaving her visualizing many of her fathers odd pastries. Marinette missed home a lot, but she liked her apartment enough, there was good insulation between the walls so she wouldn't have to worry about neighbors, and most of her neighbors were peaceful anyway. Starting the episode, Mari relaxed with her cat as she waited for her pizza to arrive, fully enjoying the peace of the situation.

~~~~~~

A tall employee with a pair of Beats and black glasses stood at the back of the pizza kitchen, texting his friend about how goddamn bored he was, standing around while his co-worker finished up some physics homework, all while no customers came in. 

 

_[NinoBambino:14:22] alya srsly who would want to order a pizza at 2 in the morning, night shifts are pointless DX_

_[xXalyabugXx:14:23] you’ve had to have at least one customer, wuu2? also can you hang on a sec, cuz im updating my ladyblog_

_[NinoBambino:14:24] uuuughhhhh fiiiine -_- hurry up tho, im dying of boredom here, and adrien is literally being no help_

_[xXalyabugXx:14:24] hehehe i wont be long~_

_[xXalyabugXx:14:24] also tell me if any customers come by to brighten up your night haha brb_

_[NinoBambino:14:24] lol im going to need hella lady luck if i want to be saved from this torture_

_[xXalyabugXx:14:25] will you hang on for 2 seconds fam hahaha_

_[NinoBambino:14:25] -hangs on- *fam*_

_[xXalyabugXx:14:25] -rolls eyes-_

 

Nino snickered to himself. At that moment, a notification appeared on the computer by the desk that an order had been made for one large pizza, with mushrooms, olives, and green peppers. 

 

_[NinoBambino:14:26] hey it looks like i got just what I wished for, i guess someone really did want to order a pizza at 2 lol_

_[xXalyabugXx:14:26] eyyy gg man._

_[NinoBambino:14:26] oh yo i think your friend ordered this… marinette yeah?_

_[xXalyabugXx:14:26] omg what is she doing ordering pizza at this hour uuugh_

_[xXalyabugXx:14:26] i’ve told her to save up her money and get proper food gdi_

_[NinoBambino:14:26] hey maybe i’ll send adrien for this one, he can talk some sense into her if you want_

_[xXalyabugXx:14:27] tyyyy~ text adrien about how it goes and keep it posted, i worry about her sometimes_

_[NinoBambino:14:27] no prob. you got it_

_[xXalyabugXx:14:27] <33_

 

A blush appeared on Nino’s face. A heart?  _‘Was that… whatdoesthatmeanomfg’._ The poor boy had no idea how to respond, so he just dropped his phone and bolted to an unsuspecting Adrien.

 

“ADRIEEEEEEEEEEEN!!!!” Nino yelled.

 

“aAH MY GOD!!! BRO WHAT DO YOU WANT?!” Adrien screamed, as he fell out of his chair.

 

“I’M SO SORRY MAN THIS IS REALLY IMPORTANT YOU NEED TO GO DO AN ORDER ASAP PLEASE” He shoved the address written on a piece of paper quickly into Adrien’s face. Nino’s cheeks got increasingly redder as he remembered why he was so adamant on having Adrien take the order… and Adrien soon caught on.

 

“Oh… I see casanova. Alya?” Adrien smirked. Nino blushed harder as he played with his headphones. “Gosh you are so in love it hurts, but I understand bro. I guess physics will have to wait this time. Good luck man~” Adrien winked. Nino shot him a grateful look, and Adrien went to get the pizza ready, nice and slow. After seeing the address, Adrien knew there was no way he’d make it in under 30 minutes, so he figured making a good pizza would make this customer pretty happy.

~~~~~~

 

“Well there’s the 30 minute mark. I guess we’re getting a free pizza Tikki~” Marinette said happily. She thanked her lucky stars she lived so far away from Pizza Hut, she wouldn’t have been able to pay rent if she had gotten charged for her dinner. A few minutes later, a knock was heard at her door. Marinette got up and answered.

 

“You ordered a pizza?” Adrien asked. He looked over the girl answering the door. “Wait a sec… Marinette?”

 

“O-oh hey Adrien!” Marinette blushed. She hadn’t seen him since high school, and observing him further he had probably gotten even more attractive over the course of one year- at least to her. Adrien had definitely gotten taller, and he had developed a little more of a build.

 

“I haven’t seen you in a while, how’ve you been?” Adrien asked. Adrien similarly, observed how much Marinette had changed as well… however she hadn’t changed in a particularly good way. She was already quite thin before, however now he could practically see the bones in her hands, and her face had looked much more… tired than he remembered. Her hair got a bit longer, and was left down instead of in two pigtails. She wore a shabby t-shirt and sweatpants instead of her usual fashionable garb, which surprised him greatly. Even if she was wearing pajamas, a year ago she would’ve worn some patterned matching pants and shirt, so what changed?

 

“Oh um… I guess ok more or less.” Her face fell. “School’s been really taking a toll on me haha, so.” Adrien noticed her eyes weren't as bright as they used to be, and upon further inspection he saw dark circles under her them.

 

“Oh I see… I know the feeling, my dad raised the stakes on my modeling jobs. Now that I’m in uni he expects a lot more from me… But uh is it ok if I come in? If there are any other orders Nino can probably handle them himself, and I… wanna catch up a bit?” Adrien saw serious changes in the once sweet, happy Marinette, and he felt like he could help her if anything.

 

“O-oh! S-sure thing, y-you can totally in-come!! Uh c-come in uh…” She sighed, and opened her door wider, a blush appearing on her cheeks. Adrien chuckled, at least one thing didn’t change. He made his way inside the apartment, and took note of how messy it was. There were scraps of fabric and stray threads everywhere. Adrien winced, he could definitely see how Marinette really didn't have time to take care of herself, let alone her apartment. 

“You should probably eat this before it gets cold by the way.” Adrien put the box of pizza on her island counter, and sat himself down on the couch. He felt something soft nudge his arm, and looked down at what touched him.

 

“Ah, you have a cat?” Adrien asked, eyes shining. Marinette nodded.

 

“Mm, yup. Her name’s Tikki, she’s really friendly.” Marinette put two slices on two plates for the both of them. Adrien pet the cat, and sighed. He grew concerned when he saw Marinette carry two plates to where they were sitting.

 

“A-ah um, I’m not really that hungry, but t-thank you! Trust me, I have a lot of free pizza back at the shop heh…” Adrien told her. She blushed meekly, and put the other slice back in the box. _‘Phew’_ Adrien thought. _‘She seriously looks like she isn’t eating enough already, I don’t want to contribute to that at all…’_ Marinette slowly came next to him, and sat down on the couch, sighing, and putting her face in her hands.

 

“Agh, I’m really sorry I’m such a mess right now, my week hasn’t been going so well…n-not that you haven’t made it any better!!” Marinette put her hands up and shook them. “It’s just that… ugh I’ve been under a lot of stress lately. I haven't been able to find any inspiration for any of my projects, and they're all going to be sue really soon and I... I just don't want to let anyone down.” Adrien nodded. He felt like he could shield her from all that she was going through, like he could share some of her burden. They weren’t the best of friends back in high school, but they surely cared for each other, and would talk to each other often, despite Marinette's stuttering. They still used to be friends. Adrein put a hand on her shoulder.

 

“It’s ok to be stressed. Hey, maybe we should go to lunch sometime? My treat. Maybe after we can go to one of my father’s showcases, you could get some inspiration from there?” A small blush appeared on Adrien’s face.

 

“Ohmygosh um I-I don’t know, I don’t feel right having you treat me I…” Adrien put a hand up. 

 

“Trust me, I’ve got it more than covered. It’s really ok.” Adrien smiled sweetly, _genuinely._ Marinette’s blush deepened, and she shyly nodded.

 

“S-sure… I guess I’m free Saturday?” She smiled, fidgeting with her hands. Adrien took note of this, and reassuringly smiled once more.

 

“Saturday it is then. Here, lemme give you my number.” The two swapped phones, and exchanged numbers.

 

‘ _Oh my god how is he still this cute and nice and perfect aahah I thought I got over this dead end a while ago what’s happening to me right now is this really happening I can’t be dreaming right this feels way too real oh my gosh I need to tell Alya about this’_ Marinette thought as she punched her number into his phone.

 

“I’ll text you. I hope you enjoy your pizza, I guess it was good that I quality made this one haha. See you around Marinette!” Marinette walked him to the door.

 

“U-uhm… I… thank you.” Marinette whispered. Adrien smiled at her, and touched her shoulder, and with that, he was gone.

 

The way he said her name re-played over and over in her mind. Marinette found herself falling for this guy all over again, and now she was going to go get lunch with him and see an _Agreste_ fashion showcase. She had to text Alya about this. She practically dove to her phone, and rapidly texted her friend.

~~~~~~

 

On the way back to the pizza place, Adrien began to reflect about what just happened. He hadn’t seen Marinette in a full year, and yet he felt so protective over her… but why? He knew it wasn’t out of pity, but more out of… the desire to protect her? He was getting really confused, but decided to drown out his thoughts by turning on the stereo. As he approached his work, he was greeted by Nino, running outside and tackling him as soon as he got out of his car.

 

“BRO HAVE I TOLD YOU HOW MUCH I LOVE YOU AND HOW MUCH OUR FRIENDSHIP MEANS TO ME” Nino yelled.

 

“Did Alya say something?” Adrien said with a laugh.

 

“YESSSS!!! SHE AND I QUOTE SAID “I COULD ACTUALLY KISS YOU RIGHT NOW, YOU’RE THE BEST” HOW AMAZING IS THAT THANK YOU BRO” Nino hugged Adrien and spun him around. Adrien laughed, and patted Nino on the back.

 

“Hey, good job man!! You keep yourself under control though haha.” Adrien joked. Nino was off in a world of his own, locking up the pizza place with a goofy grin plastered on his face. Adrien smiled as the two rode home to their dorm room, and got into bed, thinking about the night.

 

Adrien closed his eyes and sighed. _‘I just want to make sure she’s safe… I miss the old Marinette.’_ he thought. _‘Jeez I’m starting to sound like an annoying mother. I guess it’s best to sleep on the situation and come back to it tomorrow.” Tomorrow. Friday._ Saturday was two days away, what time could he possibly have to sort out everything? Importantly he’d need to get Marinette a pass to get in to the showcase; which meant convincing his father. Adrien knew more than anything that his father was the hardest person on the planet to convince for anything ever. He groaned. _‘Best to sleep on it Adrien.’_ he mentally told himself. As he got comfortable in his bed, he felt something furry hop up next to him and sit on his face.

 

“Augh!! Nino, did you feed Plagg more camembert!?” Adrien screamed. Nino laughed sheepishly and went back to sleep without a word. “Maybe Marinette’s cat would set you straight huh Plagg?” Adrien mocked. He gently pushed Plagg off his bed, and dozed off, thinking about how he’d get a pass from his father, and calmly dreamed of Marinette.

**Author's Note:**

> Well I hope you all enjoyed the first chapter of TSOMI! Reviewing and commenting really helps me out, thank you so much for reading! Till next time! ~ZZ


End file.
